Self-closing cap



Oct. 9, 1956 J- L. PALEY ET AL SELF-CLOSING CAP Filed July 24, 1953 INVENTORS JOJfP/l Z. PM! 67/615751? 4. P630 7 Y SELF-CLGSIN G CAP Joseph L. Paley, Brookline, and Chester A. Pratt, Natick, Mass.

Application July 24, 1953, Serial No. 370,130 7 Claims. (Cl. 22029) The present invention relates to a self-closing cap for pipes such as a filler pipe of an automobile gasoline tank or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-closing cover or cap which may be adapted for use on pipes of any size and which may be opened by pushing a nozzle or similar object against two hinged lids which open with practically no effort. These lids will be in closed position except when a nozzle or filler pipe is inserted.

It is an object of this invention to provide a self-closing filler cap constructed of symmetrical halves in which various elements; namely, the body and the lid in each half are identical in shape and relative position. The body is molded or cast in two identical halves which are then secured together. The castings of these halves are simple and go together with spring hinged lids which are quickly installed with practically no machine work.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive self-closing filler cap which is compact, simple in design and easy to install on automobiles. These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top fragmentary view of the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken along the lines 22 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

This filler cap comprises a shell which has a substantially cylindrical shaped wall 2 with a shoulder member 3 extending around the lower edge of the cylindrical wall 2. The shell 1 at its top has an inwardly extending annular flange 6 forming a circular opening at the top of the shell.

The bottom 7 of this shell 1 is open to receive the top of a gasoline filler pipe 9. On the inside of this shell is formed an annular ring 8 which has suflicient depth to fit over any normal sized pipe 9 for a gasoline tank of an automobile, etc. The shell I normally supported on the pipe 9 by the ring 8 is secured in position by a plurality of set screws 10 which may be three in number at approximately 120 apart from one another, each threaded through the shoulder 3 into contact with the side wall of the pipe 9. The opening 5 in the top of the shell 1 is normally closed by a pair of lid members 11 and 12. Each of these lid members are identical in construction in the manner in which they are supported, and, therefore, the description hereinafter set forth as to the construction and support of lid member 12 also applies to the other lid member 11.

The lid 12 is substantially semi-circular in shape and is provided with a bevelled diametric edge 14 which when in a closed position extends along a diameter of the circular opening 5 at the top. Extending downward and backwards from the under side of the lid at the edges opposite to the line of closure are two projecting ears 15 which are provided with aligned holes through which extends a shaft 16 parallel to the plane of the lid which supports the lid 12 and acts as a pivot for it. The ends of this shaft 16 are journalled in blocks 17 which depend from the bottom of the flange 6 and provide bearing supports for the shaft 16. These ends of the shaft 16, as is more clearly shown in Figure 3, are positioned in a horizontal slot 18 in the block 17 and are held in this position by a stop screw 19 which is threaded through the flange 6 of the shell and into the block 17 across the slot 18. A torsional coil spring 20 coiled about the shaft 16 between the ears 15 has one end 21 extending outwardly and in normal contact with the lower side of the flange 6 of the shell and has its other end 22 extending inwardly and in normal contact with the lower side 23 of the lid 12. This spring 20 serves to hold the lid 11 in a horizontal closed position until a filler nozzle is pushed in through the opening 5 pivoting the lids 11 and 12 inwardly.

A rectangular shaped stop 24 is formed on the inside of the cylinder wall 2 just above the ring 8 with its inner vertical wall 13 directly below the point of pivot of the lid 12 so as to prevent the lid 12 from pivoting more than It should be particularly noted that in this construction, the shell 1 is made of two halves 25 and 26 which are identical in construction and which may be made from the same mold. Each half of the shell is substantially semicylindrical in shape and is provided at one edge with a lap member 27 and at the other diametrically opposite edge with a rabbet 28 which is complementary to the shoulder of the other half of the shell. These two halves 25 and 26 are held together by a plurality of screws 29 which are threaded through the shoulder into the side wall of the other half of the shell. When the two halves 25 and 26 of the shell are secured together, the various segments of the annular ring 8 and of the shoulder 3 fit together to form respective continuous members.

It may be noted that the annular ring 8 permits use of this cap with various pipes 9 of different sizes without the likelihood that gasoline or other liquids being poured into the pipe from a nozzle above will splash out or run down the outside of the pipes 9.

The bevelled edges of the lids 11 and 12 prevent their binding together when a nozzle is pushed downwardly between them.

In the arrangement described above, the blocks 17 are set well back with respect to the lids 11 and 12 so that the shafts 16 when in position will be secured from slipping sideways. Further by using a horizontally slotted block 17 for the support of the shaft 16, the lid with the spring already assembled on it may be inserted in place and then secured by the screws 19.

The casting of the halves of the shell need only one pattern and this is extremely simple in design since it may be cast as a single piece in an ordinary uncomplicated mold or die.

The upper surface 31 of each lid 11 and 12 may, if desired, be coated with a yieldable material such as rub ber or plastic which upon a striking contact with a metal nozzle of a gasoline fuel pump will not cause a spark or will not readily be scratched.

Having now described our invention, we claim:

1. A self-closing cap for use with a filler pipe having an outer shell with an open bottom and top formed of two interfitting identical halves, an annular ring formed on the inner surface of said shell adapted to fit over the top edge of a filler pipe, a pair of lid members, a pair of rods one each for hingedly supporting said lid members, boss members formed at the top of said shell each having horizontal slots extending partially therethrough with the ends of said rods journalled in said slots, stop screws threaded across said slots for securing said rods in position, spring means for tensioning said lids closed at said open top, and means for securing said cap to said filler pipe.

2. A self-closing cap for use with a filler pipe having an outer shell with an open bottom and top formed of 'two interfitting identical halves, two pairs of blocks integral with the inner surface of said shell and having aligned slots formed in each pair of blocks, a pair of lid members, means hinging said lid members in a plane parallel to the top of said shell including shafts pivoting said lid members journalled in the slots of each pairs of blocks and each having their ends extending to the inner surface of the side wall of said shell, screws threaded across said slots for retaining said shafts in position and spring means for tensioning said lids in a closed position at said open top.

3. A self-closing cap for use with a filler pipe having an outer shell with an open bottom and an inwardly extending annular flange at the top forming a top openings, said shell formed of two interfitting identical halves, two pairs of opposite blocks integral with the lower surface of said flange and having horizontal aligned slots formed in each pair of blocks, a pair of lid members, means positioned just below said flange hinging said lid members in a plane parallel with said flange including shafts journalled in the slots of each pair of blocks, screws threaded across said slots for retaining said shafts in position, and spring means for tensioning said lids in a closed position at said open top.

4. A self-closing cap for use with a filler pipe having an outer shell with an open bottom and top formed of two interfitting identical halves, a pair of lid members, means hinging said lid members in a plane parallel to the top of the shell including a pair of shafts with each shaft journallcd in blocks, said blocks integral with the inner surface of said shell and having slots formed therein with said shafts journalled in said slots, screws threaded across said slots for retaining said shafts in position, and spring means for tensioning said lids in a closed position at said open top.

5. A self-closing cap for use with a filler pipe having an outer shell with an open bottom and an inwardly extending annular flange at the top forming a top opening, said shell formed of two interfitting identical halves, two pairs of opposite blocks integral with the lower surface of said flange and having horizontal aligned slots formed in each pair of blocks, a pair of lid members, means positioned just below said flange hinging said lid members in a plane parallel with said flange including shafts journalled in the slots of each pair of blocks, screws threaded across said Slots for retaining said shafts in position, spring means for tensioning said lids in a closed position at said open top, and means for limiting the pivoting of said lids to a predetermined are.

6. A self-closing cap for use with a filler pipe having an outer shell with an open bottom and an inwardly extending annular flange at the top forming a top opening, said shell formed of two interfitting identical halves, two pairs of opposite blocks integral with the lower surface of said flange and having horizontal aligned slots formed in each pair of blocks, a pair of lid members, means positioned just below said flange hinging said lid members in a plane parallel with said flange including shafts journalled in the slots of each pair of blocks, screws threaded across said slots for retaining said shafts in position, spring means for tensioning said lids in a closed position at said open top, an annular ring formed on the inner surface of said shell adapted to fit over the top edge of a filler pipe with stop members formed on the top surface of said flange positioned to limit the downward pivoting of said lid to a position wherein the inner surfaces of said lids are in alignment with the inner edge of said annular ring.

7. A self-closing cap for use with a filler pipe having an outer shell with an open bottom and an inwardly extending annular flange at the top forming a top opening, said shell formed of two interfitting identical halves, two pairs of opposite blocks integral with the lower surface of said flange and having horizontal aligned slots formed in each pair of blocks, a pair of lid members, means positionedjust below said flange hinging said lid members in a plane parallel with said flange including shafts journalled in the slots of each pair of blocks, screws threaded across said slots for retaining said shafts in position, spring means for t'ensioning said lids in a closed position at said open top, and stop means projecting from diametrically opposite positions from the inner surface of the shell for limiting the opening arcs of the lids.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 845,382 Tornier Feb. 26, 1907 988,974 Chapman Apr. 11, 1911 1,613,148 White Ian. 4, 1927 1,818,608 Chafkin Aug. 11, 1931 1,929,527 Traverton Oct. 10, 1933 2,072,706 Bower Mar. 2, 1937 

